Arsenal loses half-time lead in Greece
As the UEFA Champions League is getting very close to finishing its group stage, some changes are still to be made in the rankings. The biggest surprise on Tuesday was that Arsenal was not able to keep their half-time lead against Olympiacos in Greece and lost the chance to claim the needed three points that would have given them the leading position in group B. Arsenal finished second with two points away from Schalke and one point in front of Olympiacos.
Champions League Betting
Of course, being the last two days of the Champions League group stage, a lot of things can happen as the teams that already qualified will most likely not put their top players on the field in order to avoid injuries before the next stage. This makes it a very profitable time for gamblers and online sportsbooks are certainly doing their part to make the bets more attractive. 888 Online Sportsbook (click here to visit) is on top of all the games in the EUFA Champions League and offers some sharp odds for tomorrow.
Olympiacos vs. Arsenal
Arsenal took the lead in the first period with Tomas Rosicky getting a nice finish which certainly got their spirits up as the players went into the break. The second period wasn’t as impressive for the guests as two goals turned the tables around and got the second win for the hosts, robbing Arsenal of the chance to finish first in their group. Of course, winning is winning even if Olympiacos don’t qualify for the next stage of the Champions League, the team now looks in a better form for the Europa League.
Schalke had a very convincing lead in group B but the tie made on Tuesday against Montpellier gave Arsenal a glimmer of hope; they weren’t able to capitalize on it, however. With a spot in the final 16 already secured, Arsene Wenger made some significant changes to the line-up for this final game compared to last weekend when Arsenal lost at home against Swansea City. Jernade Meade finally got the chance to take part in a Champions League game and the Arsenal bench was filled with young players; including Chuba Akpom, a 17-year-old striker.
Arsenal started strong but Alex Oxlade and Gervinho were unable to close and shot wide. The hosts got their first opportunity well in the first half, by minute 11, with Djamel Abdoun taking center stage in what could have been the first goal of the night but Thomas Vermaelen didn’t allow it. Gervinho missed a big shot but quickly got back in the game and gave Rosicky a low pass which he used to open the score with a perfect hit pass Roy Carroll. He then got replaced in the second half by Andrey Arshavin who wasted the first big opportunity of the second half, sending the ball over the gate.
The equalizing goal came in minute 65 as a result of a questionable decision made by the officials and Olympiacos took advantage of it. Only eight minutes later, the hosts scored the winning goal. Mitroglou who had just come on the field found himself alone with the ball and made the most out of it with a nice shot around the goalkeeper.
Betting Tips
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